"The New Oxford American Dictionary" (NOAD) is a heavyweight publication-- both figuratively and literally. The editors have taken to heart the counsel. "to boldly go...". This is the first dictionary (that I know of) to define words in a truly contemporary sense. Rather than rehashing traditional definitions and excluding words not considered legitimate by academics and purists, NOAD defines words as people use them in everyday speech. It also includes hundreds of new words and acronyms which have come into the language in the last several years.
An innovative approach to definitions...
The layout and the approach to definitions is also innovative. Unlike most dictionaries, which merely list definitions, NOAD provides 'core senses' which are followed by 'subsenses'. It also gives usage examples and details the origin of words. Etymologists will be delighted. You might find yourself getting sidetracked in this dictionary. Looking up a simple definition can lead to time spent browsing other entries.Ready References
The 'Ready Reference' has the least appeal for me. It includes 'Hall of Fame' inductees from baseball, football, etc. I think this can be found in any sports almanac and is best left there. I would have preferred to see a list of Nobel Prize winners (which is not included). Also, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States is not something I'll refer to very often. I have other sources for these documents but, then again, this is an American dictionary and not just a "British dictionary with an American cover wrapped around it". The 'Selected Proverbs' is a nice addition and the table of elements, countries and capitals, and weights and measures are handy.Maps and Illustrations
NOAD includes many illustrations which prompted one reviewer to state "(the) crude maps are close to useless, and many pictures are mere eye candy, but some are worthwhile (such as) the illustration for pasta." (Incidentally, macaroni is conspicuous by its absence in the pasta illustration.) My opinion is that the maps are adequate (this isn't an atlas) and I like the many helpful illustrations. The "American Heritage Dictionary" may have color illustrations but I prefer the balck and white, half-tone, and line drawings in NOAD. Another online reviewer complained, "the thumb indexing is way off... it's not helpfull". I didn't find this to be the case. The thumb index is quite accurate though it wouldn't have crossed my mind to check if not for reading that comment. Cynthia A. Johnson (Barnard College Library) mentioned "the only real problem with the dictionary is that the pronunciation guide is found only at the beginning, making it difficult for the user to refer to it quickly." I agree that it's inconvenient but the pronunciation system, itself, is very straightforward.The bottom line? "The New Oxford American Dictionary" is a truly innovative reference work and, perhaps, the one which most closely reflects the 'American Voice'. In my view, this is the best single volume dictionary on the market today.
FYI
Oxford University Press (OUP), the world's largest university press, established its American presence to sell Bibles published in England. By the 1920s, it began to produce books of its own. (The first non-fiction work published by OUP-USA, "The Life of Sir William Osler", won the Pulitzer prize in 1926.) Many awards later, OUP-USA is now Oxford University Press's largest publishing center outside Oxford.
